Explore records, photographs, and stories from the people and places that shaped our community.
Search Our DatabaseWelcome to the Benton County Historical Society & Museum
Preserving the stories, artifacts, and heritage of Benton County, Minnesota since 1949.
📅 Today in History
United States
• 1908 The first passenger flight in an airplane
• 1948 PM David Ben-Gurion establishes State of Israel
Minnesota
• About 4,780 square miles of Minnesota are inland water.
• The giant beaver became Minnesota’s state fossil in 2025.
Benton County
• James Kitchens acted as clerk at Benton County’s first board meeting and was appointed Register of Deeds.
• Sauk Rapids was separately organized as a village in 1881.